DELTONA, Fla. – Volusia County’s health department officials say they’re seeing a decrease in hospitalizations but an increase in demand for testing. Being able to get a test done quickly in the area, though, has left many frustrated.
Pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens appointments are booked up two to four days in advance. The Volusia County Health Department just announced expanded testing sites and days due to the demand, but it still requires an appointment.
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“People don’t want to wait and that’s what we do, the PCR testing, so it’s two or three days before we get the lab results,” said county health director Patricia Boswell.
Boswell said though there’s a big demand for testing, there’s no plans for her department to create a mass testing site in Volusia. She said they don’t have the staff for it.
“We’re trying to balance testing, vaccination, case investigation so, locally, we certainly don’t have resources adequate for large community-based testing,” she said.
Cities like Deltona, though, are working to make testing more readily available.
“It’s drive-thru testing over in the City of Deltona. We’re looking at Dewey Boster (Sports Complex), which is 1200 Saxon Boulevard,” said Deltona City Commissioner Victor Ramos.
Ramos said the city is creating a drive-thru site that will start September 8. The city is still finalizing the times and will release them soon. Ramos said no appointment will be necessary.
He hopes this will give some relief to Volusia residents.
“It’s about that testing and making sure that individuals who want to get tested have that opportunity,” he said.